Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasn't kidding when he compared himself to Benjamin Button.
You'd think that father time would catch up on the 39-year-old eventually, but he really is starting to resemble the fictional character who is born an old man and starts to de-age as times goes by.
As recently as September, according to Goal, Ibrahimovic referred to his uncanny ability to keep plowing on at the highest level at smashing home a brace during the 2-0 win over Bologna.
Zlatan still going strong
“We won, I could have scored more goals," the Swedish legend reflected. "If I was 20, I would have scored another two. I'm like Benjamin Button, I was born old and I die young.”
It's pretty hard to disagree with the man because some of his most prolific seasons have come this side of his 30th birthday, constantly proving people wrong as soon as he flirted with declining.
His move to LA Galaxy in 2018 finally looked to be the moment that Ibrahimovic accepted his time in the European game was over, particularly after suffering a serious injury at Manchester United.
Bold return to AC Milan
However, in a move that had 'risk' written all over it, Ibrahimovic put his legacy at risk by returning to AC Milan earlier this year after scoring 53 goals across 58 appearances in California.
In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking Ibrahimovic had gone one step too far with a slow start back at the San Siro, but boy has he silenced the doubters, myself included, in the months since.
First, Ibrahimovic ended his return half-season with a decent record of 11 strikers from 20 games, only to make that look tame by flying out of the blocks during the 2020/21 campaign.
Zlatan's superb highlights at 39
Now, Ibrahimovic really is proving that anything is possible by way of boasting an extraordinary eight goals in as many games with seven of them coming from just four Serie A outings. Madness.
As a result, we couldn't help paying homage to the legendary striker and few have done that better than YouTuber 'SVMM', who has compiled Ibrahimovic's best moments as a 39-year-old.
Zlatan never ages
So, in these dark and uncertain times, if you need a reminder that anything really is possible, then check out Ibrahimovic tearing up one of Europea's biggest leagues in his twilight years.
Honestly, if you showed that to someone completely ignorant of the footballing world and told them Ibrahimovic was 25 years old, I'm not sure they'd call you out.
It's not all that surprising that a player of Ibrahimovic's class has managed to maintain his supreme technical skill, but it's the fact he's so physically strong just shy of his 40th birthday.
You've got to credit Ibrahimovic for taking his fitness and recovery so seriously over the years because it's paid off both in terms of bouncing back from injuries as well as career longevity.
But even a freak of nature like Ibrahimovic will indeed plateau one day and our only hope is that he retires before that day comes because it would be a shame to see 'The Lion' go out with a whimper.